Mangaluru: A 63-year-old uterine cancer survivor has regained the ability to eat normally after undergoing a complex surgery at KMC Hospital, BR Ambedkar Circle, to treat severe intestinal damage caused by radiation therapy.The woman had undergone a radical hysterectomy followed by radiation treatment in 2024. Over the following year, she developed persistent abdominal pain and vomiting whenever she ate solid food. Doctors diagnosed her with radiation-induced intestinal strictures, in which scar tissue narrows the intestine, leaving her able to tolerate only liquids.By the time she was admitted, she had lost more than 20 kg and weighed just 30 kg. A PET scan ruled out cancer recurrence, but doctors found a painful abdominal lump. Despite initial non-surgical treatment, including insertion of a Ryle’s tube to relieve fluid buildup, her symptoms persisted.During an eight-hour operation, Dr Vidya Bhat and her team found extensive adhesions that had caused 70 to 80 cm of the small intestine to form a cocoon-like mass. Parts of the bowel had poor blood supply and were at risk of gangrene. Surgeons removed the damaged intestine and caecum before restoring intestinal continuity.The patient, who required intensive monitoring after significant blood loss during surgery, is now able to consume liquids and solid food. Doctors said she will continue to receive nutritional follow-up.
